P A G E S

Friday, 13 November 2015

Is it me or is this the longest post title ever?! For months I wondered whether or not to give the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer a shot, I've been loyal to Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Concealer for over a year now, but I finally decided it was worth a try. Now that I've tried both, I thought I'd compare the two for anyone having a similar dilemma.

The packaging is pretty similar from both brands - the standard twist-lid tube with a doe foot applicator. As much as I love the Estee Lauder gold accents, I prefer the Urban Decay simple design and unusual metallic purple colour scheme. Both brands offer 8 shades, I have Light Neutral from Urban Decay which matches my skintone perfectly, and Light Medium from Estee Lauder which is perhaps a tiny bit too dark for me. When it comes to cost, Urban Decay is killing it - for the same amount of product, Estee Lauder costs £22 whereas Urban Decay is just £17.50. Estee Lauder Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer contains SPF 10 whereas Urban Decay has no SPF, but that isn't particularly something I look for in a concealer.

They both apply and wear pretty well on my oily skin. Neither seem to move about or disappear when my skin gets shiny, and neither have caused a break out which is pretty unusual for my acne-prone skin. I can't speak for how they act on dry skin, but I have noticed that the Estee Lauder one loves to cling to a dry patch, whereas the Urban Decay option doesn't seem to act any differently on any areas of my face.

I swore by this little tube for a long long time, but lately I am starting to notice it settle into fine lines, and not blend as well as I would like. It isn't ideal for use on any dry areas of skin, as it has a tendency to collect in the dry areas, and oxidise, making them even more obvious. To make this concealer look perfect it takes quite a lot of prep work to make sure your skin is exfoliated and hydrated, and you need to take time to buff it in carefully which I just don't have in the mornings - I love sleep too much!

I really didn't expect the Urban Decay concealer to live up to the hype surrounding it, but I LOVE this little tube. The shade is perfect, I love the flattened out doe foot applicator, I love that you can build and build and build it without it looking cakey or unnatural but it still covers pretty impressively. I love the skin-like finish and I love the cute packaging. And it's cheaper.

So the verdict: go for the Urban Decay one because it's a gift sent from above.